WARM UP

What are the 4 levels of organization in Ecology?

ECOSYSTEMS:Energy Flow Food Chains

www.swpc.noaa.gov/

Autotrophs• Means “self-feeder”

• Organisms that obtain their energy from sunlight or chemical reactions

• Two different processes to gain energy:– Photosynthesis– Chemosynthesis

Phytoplankton bloomoff Irish Coast

http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/pod/phytoplankton.small.jpg

Photosynthesis• Chemical reaction that transforms light energy into

chemical energy.

• Creates carbohydrates: sugars and starches.

• Carbon Dioxide + Water → Glucose + Oxygen

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/images/photosynthesis.jpg

Chemosynthesis• Chemical reaction that transforms one type of chemical

energy into a usable chemical energy.

• Many derive energy from sulfur-containing molecules.

– Bacteria in hydro-thermal vent communities.• Unique because they

do not derive energy from the sun.

http://aich.aiistudentwork.com/students/joshpierce/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/hydrothermal_vent.jpg

Hydrothermal Ventshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXGF3XS-yAI

Primary Production

• Autotrophic organisms are the base of all energy in ecosystems.

• Called primary production:– Amount of chemical energy converted from solar energy

through the process of photosynthesis

– Measured by determining biomass• Biological mass = total dry weight of plant

matter

Heterotrophs

• Means “other feeder”• Organisms obtain their energy from the

consumption of other organisms

Images from Google Image Search

Heterotroph Diversity

Primary Consumers

– Heterotrophic organisms consume producers

– Consume plants or algae– Known as herbivores or plant eaters– Come in all shapes and sizes

Images from Google Image Search

Secondary Consumers

• Carnivores- meat eaters

• Omnivores— eat both producers and consumers (Humans, bears and dogs)

• Detritivores (decomposers)– Eat dead organisms– Very important to ecosystem

) 

Images from Google Image Search

The Energy Pyramid

• Movement of energy through an ecosystem– Illustrated by the energy pyramid

• Visual way energy moves through food chain

• Each step called a trophic (feeding) level

Biomass PyramidBiomass PyramidTrophic Level

4th

3rd

2nd

1st

Producers

Herbivores

Carnivore

Carnivore

The Energy Pyramid• First trophic level

– Base of pyramid formed by producers

• Second trophic level– Primary consumers who eat producers

• Third trophic level– Secondary consumers who eat primary consumers

• Fourth trophic level– Tertiary consumers who eat secondary consumers

Images from Google Image Search

Energy Loss

• Only about 10% of the energy available in an ecosystem is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• The rest of the energy is lost through heat and waste products (including nails, hair, horns, hooves, etc.)

http://mrskingsbioweb.com/images/enpyr1.gif